Virtual Aerial Display for Sterile Surgical Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In surgical environments, existing medical systems face challenges in allowing surgeons to control medical devices without physically touching unsterilized surfaces, particularly due to the need for precise positioning of virtual displays to avoid obstacles and ensure sterility.
Innovation Solution
A medical system that includes sensors to detect the position and orientation of operators and objects, using a processor to calculate and determine the optimal placement of a virtual image display in the air, allowing it to be positioned and controlled by a mobile robot arm, enabling surgeons to interact with virtual touch panels without physical contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a virtual aerial display is used to allow surgeons to operate medical devices without physical contact, then sterility is improved, but positioning precision and obstacle avoidance become problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical touch panel interaction system with a virtual aerial display system that uses optical fields and gesture recognition. The mobile robot arm with display apparatus creates a virtual image in space, allowing surgeons to interact through gestures rather than physical contact, thus maintaining sterility while solving positioning challenges through automated detection and adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs sensors to automatically detect the surgeon's position and the locations of medical devices and obstacles. The mobile robot arm autonomously adjusts the virtual display position based on this detected information, eliminating the need for manual positioning and ensuring the display remains optimally positioned without human intervention.
2Device complexity
If a fixed operation panel is used, then device complexity is reduced, but it interferes with the surgeon's field of view and requires physical contact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static, fixed operation panel into a dynamic virtual aerial display that can move and adjust its position in three-dimensional space. The mobile robot arm enables the display to dynamically reposition itself based on the surgeon's needs, while the virtual image technology allows the display to appear floating in air, reducing visual interference and enabling contactless operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a two-dimensional fixed panel to a three-dimensional virtual aerial display. By projecting the display onto a mobile platform that can move in multiple dimensions and creating a virtual image in space, the system adds spatial freedom, allowing the display to be positioned anywhere within the surgical field without interfering with the surgeon's workflow.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a mobile robot arm is used to position the virtual display, then positioning flexibility is improved, but device complexity and potential unintended movements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates sensors that continuously detect the surgeon's position, orientation, and the locations of medical devices. This detected information is fed back to the control mechanism, which automatically adjusts the mobile robot arm's position to optimize the virtual display placement. This closed-loop feedback system eliminates the need for complex manual control mechanisms while ensuring accurate positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a control mechanism as an intermediary between the sensors and the mobile robot arm. This intermediary processes the detected information and translates it into appropriate positioning commands, simplifying the overall system architecture by decoupling the sensing and actuation functions while maintaining coordinated operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A medical system that is capable of displaying a virtual image, comprising: a sensor comprising hardware, wherein the sensor implements: a first detection section that detects information related to at least one of a position and an orientation of an operator; a second detection section that detects a position of an object in a surgery room; and a processor comprising hardware, wherein the processor implements: a calculation section that calculates an area where the virtual image is to be arranged in the air based on the information; a determination section that determines whether or not the object is present in the area based on a result of the detection by the second detection section; and a control section that causes the virtual image to be arranged in the area based on a determination result by the determination section.